A local mother-son duo is preparing for the run of their lives at the Detroit Free Press Marathon this weekend, leaning on a little help to see the finish line for a special birthday moment. On Sunday, thousands of participants will run the cross-border route spanning Windsor and Detroit — including Mark Jeremiah Ruby and his mom, Yana, who are both legally blind. “He said, ‘This is what I want to do for my 16th birthday,’” said Yana of her son, in an interview with CTV News. “I said, ‘I will do everything I can to make sure that we can do this.’” The pair will start their race two minutes before the rest of the back with a running guide to help navigate the 42-kilometre journey. The young Mark Jeremiah is excited by the challenge and won’t let his visual impairment get in the way of achieving his goal. “They call it a diff-ability instead of a disability,” he said. “A different way of doing things.” The pair have been training for the big run using a technique called “tethering” to help stay close to each other to better navigate crowds with bungee cord or another tether. That practice, helping to boost confidence ahead of the weekend race. “Nothing can really get in your way of doing something if you set your mind to it,” said Mark Jeremiah. The marathon starts at 7 a.m. on Sunday while adaptive athletes will start at 6:58 p.m. Eye condition Both mother and son have a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which the National Institutes of Health describe as a hereditary disorder of the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium which gradually causes “night blindness and progressive constriction” of the visual field. “We can’t see what’s going on here,” said Yana, gesturing with here hands to a small circular area in front of her face. “We can’t see what’s going on at our feet. So, we can see you when we look at you, but if someone is standing next to you, we wouldn’t see that person.” “I cannot see pretty much at all in the dark,” said Mark Jeremiah. Research continues to find better treatments to slow or reverse the progression of RP, including through diet strategies, stem cells, and retinal implants. Yana stressed many have their own reasons to take on the grueling challenge of a marathon and hopes the run with her son can be a shining example for others looking to light their own way. “There [are] other people running from darkness, but it’s not the type of darkness that I’m running from,” said Yana.
